Evidence of Lateglacial and Holocene Climate Change and Human Impact in Eastern Anatolia: High-Resolution Pollen, Charcoal, Isotopic and Geochemical Records from the Laminated Sediments of Lake Van, Turkey

Researchers sampled annually laminated sediments from Lake Van, Turkey, that covered an estimated 13,000 varve years. These samples were then subjected to stable-isotopic, geochemical, pollen, and charcoal analyses to help identify evidence of historical regional climatic changes and human impacts on the semi-arid regions of Anatolia. Evidence has indicated that the Lateglacial period was predominantly cold and dry, characterized by steppe vegetation and saline lake water. Lake levels dropped substantially during the Younger Dryas, with vegetation cover taking on the characteristics of a semi-desert. Data from geochemical and isotopic analyses indicated a dramatic increase in moisture at the onset of the Holocene. The first human impacts on the Lake Van catchment are dated to approximately 3800 years ago.